Jobs boost in bag with new supermarket

A NEW supermarket chain is to give a jobs boost to the Lothians.

Haldanes plans to employ 191 full and part-time jobs at its first four stores – and three of them are at Broxburn, Tranent and Prestonpans.

Haldanes said the acquisitions were made after the Co-operative Group was required to sell stores following its takeover of Somerfield.

And the chain said it planned to open dozens more branches across the UK in the next few years.

Arthur Harris, the chairman of Haldanes, said: "We are protecting the jobs of all existing store staff and when the expansion programme is complete and the new management structure is in place we expect to employ more than 700 people."

The new chain of stores will use the motto "Refreshingly local" and the company has pledged a key policy will be that more than a third of food and drink on its shelves will be from local producers. Mr Harris said: "In particular, stores north of the Border will include an enhanced range of Scottish foods."